Young Dawgs Are Gritty – Updated

Salukis Resemble Their Coach

(St. Louis, MO) – Gritty, tough, hard-working are all words that described Bryan Mullins’ playing career at Southern Illinois. Now those same words are being thrown around about the team Mullins is coaching in Carbondale, Illinois.

When Mullins graduated he was the all-time SIU leader in steals and assists. His current team has the Valley’s best assist-turnover ratio (1.1). While they are small and are the league’s worst rebounding team, they are second in shooting percentage defense (.395 to Drake’s .392), third in defending the three-point line (.284) and third in scoring defense (62.1 points per game).

Missing Cook But Pressing On

Aaron Cook is the proverbial ‘coach on the floor’ and he is out with a broken hand. The St. Louis native was leading the team in scoring, assists and steals. His brace is coming off this week and he’ll begin light therapy. He is still weeks away from playing.

Cook makes everyone else better. SIU (3-5) has split their two games without their floor general. They defeated NC Central and played impressively in a loss to the Atlantic Ten’s Saint Louis University. Despite losing in St. Louis, the Salukis proved they can play with talented and athletic teams. The energy and effort put in was noticeable.

One observer noted that SIU was the most prepared team SLU had seen this season. With each possession, the entire bench and coaching staff were engaged and shouting encouragement and instructions. SLU coach Travis Ford was impressed.

Ford said the Egyptian Dawgs are gritty and tough, and noted that coach Mullins had a good game plan. Perhaps what impressed him most was that his team, noted for its toughness was being beaten at their own game.

 

 

Domask – A Rising Star

Freshman Marcus Domask has been turning heads. The 6’6 forward is the Valley’s reigning ‘Newcomer of the Week‘. He scored 21 points against Saint Louis and has led the team in scoring in each of the games that Cook has missed. He leads the team in minutes played and assists while placing second in scoring.

His shooting percentages (.514 overall & .394 from deep) reflect his high basketball IQ as well as his talent. He does the ‘little things’ well. The Wisconsin native is consistently in the right place at the right time. When you listen to observers you consistently hear, ‘he’s a good basketball player’. In other words, he knows how to play and plays the right way.

I’m not jumping to conclusions nor making a prediction about his future, but his game reminds me a little bit of former Creighton star Doug McDermott. The way he gets open and the precision in his offensive cuts remind me the Bluejay star at a similar place in his career.

Ford says they couldn’t stop SIU’s budding star and Mullins knows there is more to come.

 

 

Preparing For League Play

With five games left before the Valley season begins, the Salukis are figuring out how to play with out Cook. Grad transfer Barret Benson seams to be growing into his role as an offensive option and transfer Karrington Davis is slowly getting healthier and should provide some help. Freshman guard Lance Jones has replaced Cook in the starting lineup and shows flashes of being able to carry the load.

Tonight the Salukis host Norfolk State before they travel to Southern Mississippi on Saturday. After a trip to Missouri (December 15), SIU hosts Hampton and Southeast Missouri to finish their non-conference schedule.

Update – SIU Defeats Norfolk 76-59

Domask recorded an 18 point/12 rebound double-double. The Salukis handed out 21 assists, including six from Lance Jones, who also scored 13 points.

While we don’t know what their record will be when they open the Valley season at Indiana State, we know their next five opponents will know the Dawgs are gritty.

Do Good